Becerra advances to November, closing in on history

Becerra advances – Xavier Becerra won one of the top two spots in California’s governor primary, setting up a November showdown that could make him the first elected Latino governor in state history—though the race remains tight and the work of delivering for Latino communities

By Friday evening. Xavier Becerra had done the one thing California’s primary system demands: he finished among the top two. The Associated Press declared him a winner in the governor race. three days after California’s June 2 election—an outcome that puts him in prime position for November and brings him closer to making history as California’s first elected Latino governor.

“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said in a statement Friday. “We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down. November, here we come.”

In the other top position. Republican Steve Hilton—a former Fox News host—remained close enough that the race was still subject to change as vote counts continued. The final tallies were still being worked through under California’s lengthy ballot-counting process. and Becerra and Hilton were within a percentage point of one another when the declaration was made.

Tom Steyer. a hedge fund manager turned climate change activist. was headed toward a third-place finish that would keep him out of the November general election. It was a campaign that saturated California’s advertising landscape—television. social media and mailboxes—after Steyer spent $216 million of his own wealth.

Under California’s primary system, only the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary advance to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliation.

For Becerra, the path to the general election comes with built-in advantages. Democratic voters in California outnumber Republicans by almost a two-to-one margin. a dynamic that helps explain why no GOP candidate has won a statewide race since 2006. Hilton’s support. meanwhile. received a boost after President Trump endorsed him. a move that helped consolidate Republican voters during the primary. But a face-off against Becerra would likely undercut that advantage.

Nearly two-thirds of voters in the state say they want a governor who will fight Trump’s policies, according to a survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

Becerra also carries the weight of an opening that has taken generations to arrive. Latino communities make up about 40% of California’s population and are the state’s largest ethnic group. Yet Latinos have historically had lower turnout in elections and have remained underrepresented in government.

For supporters, Becerra’s nomination has the feel of a long-delayed milestone. He could become the first Latino elected governor, and the first to lead the state in more than 150 years. The last time a Latino held the office was in 1875, when then-Lt. Gov. Romualdo Pacheco was elevated to fill a vacancy and served for 10 months.

“California has made history. Xavier Becerra’s advancement to the general election is a defining moment both for the state. and for the millions of Latino families who have been instrumental in shaping the state’s future. … As home to the nation’s largest Latino population. California will once again demonstrate the decisive power of Latino voters. ” said Voto Latino Executive Director Beatriz Lopez.

Even so, the promise of representation is not automatically the same as results. Christian Arana, vice president of civic power and policy at the California-based Latino Community Foundation, said Becerra will need to prove he can deliver for Latino communities.

“There’s a lot of excitement about the representation side,” Arana said. “You can have Latino representation, but whether or not that will actually lead to tangible outcomes for Latino communities, that’s what people want to know.”

That question of tangible outcomes has come alongside another question: how did Becerra surge when he was not initially positioned as the front-runner?

Becerra’s climb began after the political demise of former Rep. Eric Swalwell. Swalwell dropped out in April following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, allegations he denies. In the weeks that followed. Becerra consolidated support from elected officials including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. along with groups like Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the California Medical Assn.

Supporters and critics alike have struggled to fully explain how, exactly, the moment became Becerra’s.

Becerra’s campaign pointed to the timing of a major television and digital advertising push. Those political ads began running just before allegations against Swalwell came out and portrayed Becerra as a calm. experienced leader with a record pushing back against Trump and support from Young Democrat groups.

But Steyer’s campaign said it saw another factor in the online surge. Steyer’s campaign hired an intelligence firm to look into the online amplification favoring Becerra and found thousands of bot accounts had amplified Becerra on various social media platforms. Becerra’s campaign denied any involvement and dismissed the influence of the fake accounts.

Political experts described the period as the stars aligning for the longtime Democratic politician—after voters, in the aftermath of the scandal, appeared to gravitate toward his resume and demeanor.

“He just never overreacted. Even when attacked [during debates], he was calm,” said Fernando Guerra, professor of Chicano Studies at Loyola Marymount University. “That ‘gave the sense of being a moderate. while he’s really a liberal. so he was able to appeal not only to Latinos. but to liberals and to moderates.”.

As Swalwell’s campaign crumbled, members of the political brain trust—many with ties to Newsom—who had been advising the former congressman began working for Becerra. That included digital strategist Alf LaMont and veteran consultants Courtni Pugh and Lindsey Cobia.

“There was nothing going for him for a long, long time,” said Jason McDaniel, associate professor of political science at San Francisco State University. “I do think it was just people looking for someone who had a lot of experience who could win.”

Becerra’s résumé is long enough to explain why “experience” kept appearing in the conversations around him. His first election victory came in 1990, when he won a seat in the state Assembly. He served one term before moving to Congress, where he represented a Los Angeles congressional seat for 24 years.

In 2017, then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Becerra as state attorney general. In that role. Becerra challenged Trump administration policies in the courts more than 100 times. with what the record describes as great success. He also helped craft the Affordable Care Act in Congress and defended it as attorney general. and Joe Biden nominated him to serve as Health and Human Services secretary.

The 68-year-old elected official’s record, however, has not been without friction. On the campaign trail. Becerra has faced criticism tied to his leadership of the massive federal agency. including a New York Times investigation that found thousands of unaccompanied migrant children ended up working in dangerous jobs after they were released to sponsors.

Some former Biden administration officials—many of them anonymous—have also criticized Becerra’s leadership of the agency.

For those backing him, the argument is that the experience that came with those fights against the Trump administration is precisely what California needs now.

“He’s had some very important positions in government,” labor leader Dolores Huerta said at Becerra’s election night party in downtown Los Angeles. “He is qualified. He doesn’t have to go into a learning mode.”

“ He’s a legal scholar,” said David Dixon, a political science professor at Cal State Dominguez Hills and brother to a longtime Becerra aide. “When our constitution is threatened, we need people like him to be in positions of power to reclaim things we are losing now.”

Even with the advancement secured for November, the race is still not sealed. The primary result itself was declared while Becerra and Hilton remained close, and the continuing count leaves room for movement.

Still, with California’s history on the line and the general election now within reach, Becerra’s next job will be turning a political breakthrough into something more durable—especially for the Latino voters who could decide whether this moment becomes more than a headline.

Xavier Becerra Steve Hilton California governor primary November election Latino governor Voto Latino Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California Affordable Care Act Health and Human Services Eric Swalwell UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies UC Berkeley survey Romualdo Pacheco